Ireland

The home of my ancestors!  Ireland is an enchanting and magical place - this I hear often from tourists and I don't quite get it myself.  I suppose to me, Ireland is a grey, dank and miserable place that is filled with melancholy, sadness and remnants from a traumatic past and troubled present.  But there is something special about Ireland and I have never been able to put my finger on it.  I love it because this is my native land, my birth right and heritage.  It holds many dear childhood memories for me and I always love to return, hear the music and see the green, green land.

This trip, Robert and saw my sister Sinead, brother-in-law to be, Dean and their little boy, Noah.  We stayed with them for a night and then headed to Limerick for the night.  The next day, we hired a car and drove to Galway and then to Connemara.  It was a lovely trip.  Connemara is beautiful!!!

I loved Connemara because it is here where they speak purely Gaelic!  When you walk into a shop you can hear it on the radio and you can hear the locals chatting away.  I think it is wonderful that this ANCIENT language is still being used and spoken today.  

 Our next stop was at a place called, 'Roundstone'.  A small, rustic village on the coast.  The people in this village were incredibly friendly.  We stayed at a B&B and received a massive hug from the owners little girl.  We ate at a small cafe where Robert said he ate one of the best seafood chowders he has ever had.  Whilst we were here, we started talking to an American couple.  It turns out that the lady was an author, Clare Austen, and often comes to Ireland to get inspiration for her novels.  Check out her webpage:  http://www.clareaustin.com/

The next day, we drove to Connemara National Park.  Robert did a 2 hour hike and I stayed in the car and slept because I was so tired.  I had a great sleep and Robert had a fabulous hike.  It was a win, win kind of day.

The next stop was Achill Island.  A lovely spot with the highest cliffs in Western Europe.  We climbed them.  It was steep and it took me a while, but I did it.

At the bottom is a lovely beach called Keem Beach.  I can imagine that this place is beautiful in the summer time.

 Robert LOVES the old stone walls of Ireland.

After Achill Island, we headed back to Limerick to get ready for my Nana's surprise 80th birthday party.  Once that was over, we headed to the UK for a Bon Jovi concert and some time with my mum, dad and brothers.  It was great!